I`m working on a solar project, need to know how many cells would it take to light a 4 watt bulb? I put some cells in series to get my 13-15 volts, only problem is when I put them in parallel I can`t get the needed volts or current needed to light the bulb, anyone have any idea`s?
My boyfriend doesn’t have a yahoo account so I’m just asking this for him.
He says:
The alternator in my 1992 GMC truck will randomly drop its charge. The dash gauge reads low, (about 11 volts), the dash battery dummy light will come on, the headlights will dim, etc. Then it will randomly start charging at normal current and everything works great. There is the red positive wire going to the battery, and one brown wire that I assume goes to the light in the dash or the ignition switch. I notice that when I push down AND hold on the brown wire connector, the alternator will start to charge normally. If i let go, it might still charge normally, or it will cut out again. I figure I can just replace this connector, however the connector connects to the internal voltage regulator, so when I am pushing down on the connector, it pushes down on the voltage regulator, which makes me think it may be the regulator causing the issue. I notice the local auto parts store sells the regulator. Is it possible the voltage regulator has a poor connection within the alternator?
I would just buy a new alternator, but it works fine intermittently so it leads me to think its either wiring or the voltage regulator. Would a non-functioning / faulty voltage regulator cause the charging system to operate at lower than normal capacity like this? I dissected the single brown wire connector and made sure its getting good contact. Also with this brown wire unplugged it still occasionally charge at full capacity like normal. This leads me to lean toward the voltage regulator. It is charging my battery enough for it to start the vehicle when i need it to, but I don’t trust it, and I can tell the battery is weak unless I keep the charger on it. Any ideas? Thanks!
the stock one was 105amp, the new one 200amp. i had flickering light problems and my aftermarket stereo system causes my lights to dim considerably when the bass hit while idling. now i don’t have either of those two problems, but my voltage seems to be a lot lower when i idle. before it was idling around 13v, now idles anywhere from 11-12. is there something wrong here?
the people who made my alternator said lower volts means more amps are being used. that’s what happens when you are powering all the accessories like AC, lights, and a big stereo. is that true? just seems weird to me and i need a better explanation!
I riped two solar panels out of some solar light and tested them. I found out that they both produce 2 volts(I have no idea on the watts or amps). I"ve hooked them up to an electric motor that can be driven by a AA battery, but when I hook the solar panels up to them nothing happens. What is wrong?
Here is the light – http://www.flickr.com/photos/31355277@N03/ I would prefer the battery be rechargeable and not too large. I would like for the battery to power this thing for a while, this isn’t temporary or to test the light. I’m not sure how many volts this little device is, but it is a blue LED light(or rather 4 little LED lights or "bulbs"), and you see the 2 wires. Thank you!
Here is the light – http://www.flickr.com/photos/31355277@N03/ I would prefer the battery be rechargeable and not too large. I would like for the battery to power this thing for a while, this isn’t temporary or to test the light. I’m not sure how many volts this little device is, but it is a blue LED light(or rather 4 little LED lights or "bulbs"), and you see the 2 wires. Thank you!
Here is the light – http://www.flickr.com/photos/31355277@N03/ I would prefer the battery be rechargeable and not too large. I’m not sure what kind of battery to use. I would like for the battery to power this thing for a while, this isn’t temporary or to test the light. I’m not sure how many volts this little device is, but it is a blue LED light(or rather 4 little LED lights or "bulbs"), and you see the 2 wires. Thank you!
Started a few months ago. While car is running the brake lights will cause large voltage drops for a split second. It gets worse the longer the interval between brakes (so city driving isn’t bad, interstate it’s very noticeable). Headlights and interior lights dim, on big drops the radio cuts out for a second and the airbag light comes on. Turn signal with accessories on will cause dash light to blink with signal too.
I’ve hooked in a multimeter. It’s running low 14′s with no accessories, will drop to 13 with accessories running. With the brake on I’ve seen drops to as low as 9 volts.
My thought is the alternator. Battery holds a charge and voltage is within spec. Any other ideas?
I was doing some math last night, trying to figure out how much a cable receiver was costing my friend to run, I had my amp meter on it, and noticed that it pulls the same amount of amperage ON as it does OFF(Scientific Atlanta BTW, don’t even worry about turning it off, it makes no difference) BUT, the thing that really got me was the fact my meter was reading 130 volts. If say a 100 watt light bulb runs at 110volts(normal voltage) it pulls approx. .91 AMPS. If the same light bulb runs at 130 volts it pulls .77 AMPS. Sound about right? So cheaper electric bill? THX
I appreciate the input here guys, you all sound very knowledgeable, I originally thought it WAS making the bill HIGHER, but then rephrased my question after using this site to calculate http://www.jobsite-generators.com/power_calculators.html
The battery tested good but needs charged. 11.9 volts.
Replaced alternator.
The 10 gauge wire that comes off the positive battery cable burned in two.
I repaired that and added an inline fuse. It keeps blowing the 30 amp fuse and the charge indicator light comes on.
Testing the charging systems shows low voltage and charging system problem.
What does this wire go to?
Mark B ?
I think the connector to the 10 gauge wire burned from corrosion. I removed the fuse that I installed and replaced it with a 14 gauge (biggest I could find) Chrysler fusable link. So far so good!
Thanks Mark B. You were right on track.
